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10 Posts
Ok so as I continue my search for the perfect boat, I went and looked at one today and had a few questions... Hoping someone can help with insight or guidance.
Most everything on the boat checks out, the gimbal is tight and seems good. The properller turns pretty freely, but was a bit tight. Connected the batteries and the engine hatch lifts fine, motor compartment looks clean with no signs of water damange.
1) First Question: I pulled the dip-stick to smell the oil and here's where my question comes in. The oil was a very dark black color and had the slightest smell of gas. I'm used to see oil not look so black and having a sweet smell to it. Could this just mean that it hasn't had an oil change and sat for awhile, so the oil is not in the best condition but the motor is fine? Or is this something that I should be worried about? It's a Mercury 496 mag with Bravo 1 outdrive and around 300 hours on the whole boat/engine/drive, etc. It's the original owner and he says the boat has been serviced regularly.
2) Section Question: The very front tip of the boat at the top has a smaller than a dime size chip in the gel coat. I can tell by looking that it's chipped just the surface and not the underlying fiberglass. I spoke to the owner and he said he did it but that it was just a small hit with an anchor. That said, I'm sure it can be fixed, but is this something that could potentially come back to haunt me later in the form of de-lamination or anything else?
Other than that, the interrior is pretty dirty, but I'm pretty sure all of that can be scrubbed out. No signs of any repairs to the hull or gel coat cover-ups... the hull looks straight and the small chip in the front top is the only thing on the hull. Electronics work, trailor looks pretty sound, etc. I'm totally open to honest feedback... Please help a newbie out and thank you in advance for any insight you can provide. Sorry for the novel!
Most everything on the boat checks out, the gimbal is tight and seems good. The properller turns pretty freely, but was a bit tight. Connected the batteries and the engine hatch lifts fine, motor compartment looks clean with no signs of water damange.
1) First Question: I pulled the dip-stick to smell the oil and here's where my question comes in. The oil was a very dark black color and had the slightest smell of gas. I'm used to see oil not look so black and having a sweet smell to it. Could this just mean that it hasn't had an oil change and sat for awhile, so the oil is not in the best condition but the motor is fine? Or is this something that I should be worried about? It's a Mercury 496 mag with Bravo 1 outdrive and around 300 hours on the whole boat/engine/drive, etc. It's the original owner and he says the boat has been serviced regularly.
2) Section Question: The very front tip of the boat at the top has a smaller than a dime size chip in the gel coat. I can tell by looking that it's chipped just the surface and not the underlying fiberglass. I spoke to the owner and he said he did it but that it was just a small hit with an anchor. That said, I'm sure it can be fixed, but is this something that could potentially come back to haunt me later in the form of de-lamination or anything else?
Other than that, the interrior is pretty dirty, but I'm pretty sure all of that can be scrubbed out. No signs of any repairs to the hull or gel coat cover-ups... the hull looks straight and the small chip in the front top is the only thing on the hull. Electronics work, trailor looks pretty sound, etc. I'm totally open to honest feedback... Please help a newbie out and thank you in advance for any insight you can provide. Sorry for the novel!
